


Homecoming

by Jimmy_Rustled_Bird



Series: Wondrous Tails FFXIV Scraps and Scribbles 2020 [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: DIFFERENT WARRIORS OF LIGHT, Everyone Has Issues, Family, Gen, Minor Aymeric de Borel/Warrior of Light, Minor Haurchefant Greystone/Warrior of Light, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, a better ending, established relationships - Freeform, mentions of - Freeform, tags will change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23541490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jimmy_Rustled_Bird/pseuds/Jimmy_Rustled_Bird
Summary: Miscellaneous collection of stories for Wondrous Tails of FFXIV.
Relationships: Foulques & Original Female Character, Foulques & Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV)
Series: Wondrous Tails FFXIV Scraps and Scribbles 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1694854
Kudos: 6





	Homecoming

**Author's Note:**

> Set sometime between Stormblood and Shadowbringers. Mingxia invites all of her friends, as many as can come, to visit her and her family in Isari. 
> 
> Uthengentle, Serella and Hanvesh belong to stars-bleed-hearts-shine
> 
> Rukia and Raven belong to lunarosewood23
> 
> Sharedverse/Let’s Be Reasonable/Somebody Lives AU

“ _Mama, Baba, I’m home! I brought-_ ” ...What was I to call them? They were so much more than friends. “ _...I brought company!_ ”

“ _Please excuse the intrusion_ ,” Uncle Basile’s comforting baritone boomed out from behind me, rolling easily over the Hingan words.

“ _Welcome back, Xiaoming!_ ” Mama came out and wrapped me in a tight hug. She then stepped back and looked me up and down. “We heard you were part of the fighting. You worried us so much! But,” she glanced at the admittedly large group crammed onto the patio. “It seems I had no reason to. Who are these new friends of yours?”

“Um…” I took a breath. “This is big sis Raven, big bro Haurchefant, big sis Serella, big bro Uthengentle, big bro Aymeric, big sis Rukia, Uncle Hanvesh and Foulques. Everyone, this is my _mama_.” I pointed at everyone as I said their names.

“ _It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am_ ,” Serella said, politely bowing.

“'Tis my pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Aymeric said, bowing deeply. I was impressed- both of them bowed in the traditional Hingan style, not the usual Ishgardian way!

“It’s nice to meet you!” Raven piped up.

“ _Nice to meet you~”_ Rukia said casually.

“‘Tis a pleasure to meet you, Lady Jiang!” Haurchefant chimed in with a bow. 

“ _It’s nice to meet you. Please be kind to me,”_ Uncle Hanvesh cheerfully added.

“Nice to meet you! Sorry that this isn't much, but here's something from the mainland,” Uthengentle hauled out a large box- a crate, even, of various items- teas, leathers, preserved meats, and some of Serella’s bread. 

_Mama_ smiled. “Uthengentle, I daresay you’ve given us enough to keep us going for at least three months. What a kind young man you are. Thank you very much for this lovely gift.”

“ _Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jiang._ ” Foulques stumbled a little bit over the words, but nonetheless drew a look of surprised delight from mama.

“Miluda Jiang, former adventurer. What a joy it is to meet my daughter’s road family- and my, what a _surprise_ , I did not realize some of you could speak! Come on in, everyone! _Hairong, Xiaoming brought friends!”_

 _“How many?”_ The sounds of furniture scraping and unfolding drifted faintly through the hall.

_“Eight!”_

_“Better make that nine then, I can hear that rascal Basile too!”_ At that, Basile laughed. _“Xiaoming, come here, I need help with the banquet table!”_

 _“Coming baba!”_ I scampered into the back room- wow, they have been busy while I was gone. Baba managed to have it expanded. I hope he didn’t overstrain himself. Ever since that day a bit over ten years ago, his leg hasn’t been quite the same. “ _Baba, when did we get a banquet table?”_

“ _Since you fulfilled that impossible promise and chased that damned witch out of here. No need to say a thing, I heard what happened. It’s a shame, but we all made our choices. Be a good girl and grab that side there. On the count of three- one, two, three!”_ We pulled the table open and though I struggled, I was able to get it standing as it ought to have been. “ _You’ve gotten stronger! Good. Now, why don’t we get you all seated here?”_

“ _Yes!”_ I went back out into the front room and started helping. “ _Mama_ , everyone, why don’t you go into the back room with _Baba_? I’ll make tea and snacks.” Everyone except my mother and I went to the back with various motions of assent.

“That would be wonderful, Xiaoming.” She didn't go, thought, instead motioning for me to join her. We worked in silence for a moment. “Soooo…” 

“Hm? What is it, _mama?_ ” Uh oh. She had that mischievous glint in her eye.

“That boy.” Oh no. _Mama_ , are you doing what I think you’re doing?

“Which one?” Just play it cool, play it cool…

“The...what did you say his name was? Foulques?” I nodded at her. 

“What about him?”

“You’re very close with him, aren’t you?” Mama deftly rolled and speared some dango, setting it on a plate. “Be a dear and get the grill going, will you, Xiaoming?”

I lit the end of my finger and brought it to the small grill she kept in the middle of the room. “Done, _mama._ ...Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Well, don’t leave me hanging, my girl! How did you meet?” Does she also think we’re dating? Do we really give off that vibe?

“Um…” Great, how do I put this in a way that won’t make her want to light him on fire? “We met in the Lancer’s Guild.”

“Mhm?” _Mama_ nodded, asking me to go on.

“It’s a messy, long story.” I plucked a steamer box out of my bag and washed it.

“Well, we have time. There are so many of you that we shall have to make a mountain of dango to feed you all! When you sent that letter saying you were bringing friends over, I did not expect a party of a dozen distinguished people.”

“Ahaha, sorry mama.”

“But do tell me more about Foulques, and don’t play coy with me! I did tell you before you left-”

“-That I would meet many people, and make friends and enemies, and perhaps find my red thread- wait, mama, are you saying you think he is my red thread?”

“Well, that would depend on you, would it not? You two look like a story, though, so please, share with your old mother.”

“...Oh come on, mama, you’re not that old are you…? Alright. So um, don’t kill Foulques or anything okay? He greeted me with a test- the business end of a spear leveled at my face, to see if I would flinch. It was kind of obvious though- he was already kind of warning me before, saying he would test me, so...I figured he wasn’t going to try to kill me or anything.”

“That is a surprising show of faith towards someone you never met.” Mama whisked in a little sugar.

“He was telegraphing a bit, _mama._ Besides, I was more annoyed than startled- Teacher Ywain had set me to killing yarzons and I had gotten lost on the way back, so I was really tired!” Mama laughed as I thought for a moment, remembering all of the adventures. I couldn’t help smiling. “Foulques would interfere whenever Teacher Ywain set a task for me. It wasn’t hard for him to. Teacher Ywain never came to supervise me. I know he was busy, but he did not even set me to partner with a senior member, so that if I made a mistake, I could be corrected before it became a bad habit. Foulques, though, whenever he butted in, he would linger somewhere and watch, and if I did badly, he would show me how to do it better, and let me practice until it was enough.”

“So first he tried to spear you, and then he was watching out for you. How interesting! That was how your grandfather was with me too.” Mama said as she mixed the dough for the dango and divided it. “Take these and use the red bean and matcha on them, Mingxia.”

“Okay.” I got to work filling the little balls with just a little bit of the red bean, and then coated it with matcha powder. “So um, I learned a lot from Foulques! I learned a lot from Teacher Ywain, too, and I’m grateful, but...I would have preferred not to deal with Teacher Ywain, if I could have. He...is very...passive. When his students are attacked, he does not defend them or rescue them. Either he lets them all fall, or he sends me to save them, even in his own training hall. It worked out great for me, of course, but it is a bad example. Foulques is very powerful. The only time I can defeat him is using my magic, and even then, just barely. As a lancer, even as a Spellspear, I can at best draw with him. For Teacher to send me to save the others- I was lucky, so very lucky that Foulques took me under his wing.” I put down my finished skewer.

“You don’t seem to like this Ywain much.” Ah, so much for being neutral.

“I don’t. From the start, he has yet to earn my respect. Teacher has never rescued his students while I was around, and has thrown me into dangerous situations that I easily could have died from. He has only done his duty by teaching me what techniques should be taught as one grows more proficient. He even tried to make me abandon Foulques- I didn’t listen, of course, or we wouldn’t all be here. I asked Foulques to come adventuring with me, and then more people came and it’s been a lot of fun! I mean, around betting our lives against deific enemies and homicidal Garlean princes.”

“That is one way to put it.” I turned to find Foulques leaning against the doorframe, watching and- Menphina help me, how much did he hear?

“Ah, Foulques! Uhm…”

“It is quite noisy in there.” He nodded at the back room, where apparently _Baba_ was getting along very well with all of my friends. It sounded like a party. “It was giving me a headache.”

“Right, your hearing.” He nodded to that, scowling as Uncle Basile practically roared in laughter to something someone else said.

“Either way, you are welcome to join us here. Have you made dango before, Foulques?” Mama waved him over with flour-dusted hands.

“No, ma’am.” Foulques replied.

“You can call me Aunt Miluda. Come, wash your hands and join us.” Mama waved him over. Foulques went over to the sink with a set in his shoulders that made him look a little bit tense. I turned to check on the dango I was steaming and heard the splash of hands in water. “There you go. It is simple. Take some of this dough- about this much- and roll it into a ball. Then stab it! Three on a stick. Just so.”

I glanced over. There was something homely about seeing my tall friend and my much shorter mother working together over these simple sweetbread snacks. What was the word for this feeling...wistful? I turned back to the steamer.

“Are you sure you have never made dango?” A pause. “I could be convinced otherwise. You are skilled- each of yours are so consistent! It took Xiaoming suns before she could get anywhere close to that.”

“Mamaaaaaa!” Why does she need to embarrass me like this?

“It is hardly a challenge if one is paying attention.” Foulques replied. “‘Tis not so different from making goby balls for fishing.” 

Mama laughed. “No, I suppose it is not. A fair deal less salty, however, I’m sure!” 

We worked in silence for a moment. The pile of dango continued to rise. I heard mama say something to Foulques, and Foulques answering- but I could not hear what they said. Eventually, both of them came to join me at the fire pit where the grill and steamer were. Mama told us some stories of her time as an adventurer. She too had to face Ifrit, at some point, and while she had never been to Gridania, she had heard stories about the place. 

“Has it gotten better?” Mama asked.

“Not...really.” I shook my head. “I mean...from the stories, it doesn’t seem to have changed very much.”

“Hardly surprising. Those within the city walls enjoy comforts that are not afforded to those outside of it. They have little reason to change, nor do they have the nerve to do so. Whether that continues to be the case after Mingxia started her ambitious pet projects remains to be seen.” Foulques crossed his arms, derision curling into skepticism.

“Pet projects? Do tell, Xiaoming. I have heard tales of you and your merry band liberating entire nations and bringing down angry deities, but I wonder what else you have been doing on the side.” Mama said.

“Well, um, there are lots of things, but…”

“You have no need to be so bashful about it. It is hardly considered bragging, if that is what you are so concerned about.” Foulques nudged me with his elbow.

“It’s only barely started- fine. I made friends with a group of bandits in South Shroud, started a trading company with them, spread the stuff they made over half of Eorzea, and I’m trying to convince the leader of Gridania to let me start an effort to rebuild a ruin back to habitable condition so- so I don’t have to watch the disgusting racism in Gridania continue.” I blurted all of that out- it’s a bit embarrassing. “B-but I had a lot of help! Not like what Foulques did, he rescued a whole bunch of people in both Ishgard and Gyr Abania! By himself, practically!”

“I was unaware that this was a competition. But, if you insist...” He raised an eyebrow. A challenge?

“My, my, you _have_ been busy. Good.” Mama said around a soft chuckle. We turned to her as she plucked the last few dango off the steamer. “Have a little advice from this old adventurer. Keep watching each other’s backs like you are now, and only a Calamity could tear you apart, for a team is always more than the sum of its parts. The one who goes it alone is strong, but courage is not always how well you can weather the winds by themselves. But,” Mama winked. I wonder why. “I am more than sure you both know this already.”


End file.
